The Professional TV Watcher

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler practice for Dancing with the Stars as a back up plan in case their movie doesn't bring in enough money.

I did not have high expectations for The Ugly Truth, especially after reading less than stellar reviews in both Entertainment Weekly and my local paper. But, I left the movie happy enough with the money I spent to see it. The Ugly Truth follows a pretty conventional plot line. There are no surprises as to how the movie will play out, but sometimes going back to the basics can still be entertaining.

The movie starts with a few scenes showing Katherine Heigl's character, Abby, producing a morning news show that is quickly going down the drain with its low ratings. Obviously, someone has to come in to shake things up. Enter Mike: an obnoxious man in his 30's who hosts a cable access show called "The Ugly Truth." The show is meant to enlighten women by screaming at them that men are simple and only care about how hot a girl is and how good they are in bed. He insists men can't change and that they will never fulfill the myth "He loves me because of my personality!" that girls delude themselves with. Abby calls in to argue with him, but he is ready for her. His comebacks are quicker and more severe, and Abby is left dumb-founded as she hangs up. Unlucky for Abby, Mike has been hand-picked by her boss to do a shorter version of "The Ugly Truth" on her news show the next morning.

As Abby gets increasingly annoyed with him, Mike strikes a deal. If she follows all his advice on how to start dating her new neighbor and it works, she has to agree to start working nicely with Mike. If his advice fails, he promises to quit the show. She takes him up on his offer, and then the predictable plot line continues on. The more time Mike spends with Abby teaching her to dress sexy, lengthen her hair, and keep conversations vague and minimal, he begins to fall for all the quirks he is instructing her to hide from Colin (the sexy neighbor who is also a surgeon).

Heigl and Butler have a fair amount of chemistry that was absolutely essential for this movie to stay afloat. Their scene at the dance club was one of my favorites because not only did it highlight one of the peak moments of their attraction, but it also made me really want to go dancing! As Dane Cook would say, "I just want to dance!" I didn't really like Abby's character too much, though. I actually found Mike way more realistic. I agreed with most of his advice about guys- they are way simpler than we make them up to be. Plus, Mike had a soft side in the few scenes they showed with his sister's family. Abby was kind of over the top on the obsessive compulsive personality. I don't know any girl who would pull out a printed version of a guy's online profile on a date. We may be thinking about your profile, but we would never admit we know those details ;)

As for the supporting cast, there really weren't any stand outs. The only ones I liked were the husband and wife news anchors. I feel like they stole the scenes they were in with their passive aggressive fighting in the beginning, and their comical sexual tension later. Abby's friend didn't really add anything to the film, and while Mike's sister and nephew were good characters, they were barely in three minutes of the movie.

Last little things I liked about the movie: 1) Katherine Heigl's wardrobe (like the cute outfit pictured in the picnic scene above) and 2) "Right Round" plays during the credits which made me think of "The Hangover." If you want to see a run of the mill romantic comedy, check this one out. It's more guy friendly than the usual chick flick because of the course language and emphasis on how guys view women, so don't feel bad about dragging guy friends and boyfriends along. I'd agree with the critics and give this two stars. It was cute for what it was, but you could wait to rent this later when you want to spend a night in.

It's that time of the week again! This week's categories from the Greatest TV Characters Poll include all the rough around the edges type. Here are my picks:

Best Rebel: James 'Sawyer' Ford from "Lost"

Some of my favorite quotes from Lost are Sawyer lines (including "Guess what? I JUST SHOT A BEAR!" and "Thank you, boar expert!"). It's hard not to love this guy. He's the best kind of rebel because he flips back and forth between only looking out for himself and occasionally showing he has a heart. He softened up a lot recently as he became the leader of those left on the island, but I'm hoping we will see him get back to his endearing jackass personality again soon. Plus I wouldn't mind seeing him shirtless again. Those Dharma Initiative suits are not very sexy. My close second in this category was Hyde from That 7o's Show, but he's mostly just talk. At least Sawyer did some bad things.

Currently Leading in the Polls: Mal Reynolds from Firefly with 23.1% of the votes

Best Spy/Secret Agent: Chuck Bartowski from "Chuck"

I just started watching Chuck this summer and I immediately loved the main character. Chuck is a great spy/secret agent because he truly embodies the "average joe" title as the lead Nerd Herder at Buy More. Despite having a normal (yet quirky) life, he easily steps up to being an asset to both the NSA and the CIA. He lands a helicopter, fights of bad guys while still tied to a chair (although Casey is there to help), and saves his handlers on multiple occasions using quick thinking and dumb luck. He may not have years of training under his belt, but I would definitely like to have this guy on my side if I found myself in a tough situation.

Currently Leading in the Polls: Sydney Bristow from Alias with 26.6% of the votes

Best Antihero: ?

Can you believe that out of 14 nominees, I've never seen any of the shows they are from? I think I may have seen one episode of "House," but I don't think it is enough to really vote for him. I guess I'm not into Antihero shows.

Currently Leading in the Polls: Greg House from House with 24.7% of the votes

Best Tough Girl: Buffy Summers from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"

I have to vote for Buffy in this category since she is my favorite TV character of all time. I think "Tough Girl," though, implies more of a rebel and not necessarily a hero. I would have expected to see Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this category instead. Oh well. Buffy is awesome. She has survived death twice, won the hearts of the only two living vampires with souls, killed a bajillion vampires, thwarted a dozen apocalypses- all while graduating high school, attending college, and serving as the school guidance counselor. She truly is one of a kind. Or I guess, she was, until the season finale in which every girl who could be a slayer became one at the same time....

Currently Leading in the Polls: Sarah Walker from Chuck with 61.6% of the votes

Best Boozer: Karen Walker from "Will and Grace"

I haven't seen a lot of Will and Grace episodes, but I've seen enough to know Karen deserves Best Boozer over the other nominees in this category. Between constantly giving Grace bad advice, playfully insulting Will, being BFF's with Jack, and abusing Rosario, Karen does it all with a drink in one hand and a token laugh that most of the world would recognize by now. I'm pretty sure she would be really fun to go bar hopping with...or bring to a family get-together to make things more interesting.

Currently Leading in the Polls: Karen Walker from Will and Grace with 29.3%

Saturday, July 25, 2009

This episode started with the interesting plot twist about Sookie finding another telepath. Unlike Sookie, this new guy hides his gift and does not use it for any type of personal gain. She tries to reach out to him, but by the end of the episode, he has disappeared. I thought it was ridiculous that Sookie didn't tell Bill right away about who she ran into. She eventually told him the next morning, but I feel like I would have run right in and been like "OMG GUESS WHO I MET?" Apparently she cares about sleeping with him more. Is anyone else getting a little tired of this coupling? They aren't very interesting right now. Bill's maker showed up in the last scene of the show, so I hope she helps mix things up between these two. I think Bill and Sookie are interesting characters, but I'd much rather watch them individually than together. Sookie seems to get more naive and dumb when she is with Bill, so I am definitely looking forward to her story line of infiltrating the Light of Day Institute without him.

The people at the institute are getting more and more weird to me. I was basically scarred by the scene with Sarah and Jason in the bathroom. WTF. I told my friend I was watching it with that I would much rather them just have sex than go through that bizarre dialogue by the bath tub. I also thought that boot camp scenes were kind of odd, but at least Jason didn't come across as a jackass. I'm starting to think he is playing the people at the institute and is just infiltrating it as much as he possibly can (I don't think he started that way, but I think he had a change of heart early on). He seemed like he was just pretending to be enthusiastic when he saw the arsenal....I don't know. Any thoughts?

Maryann is still a creeper. Not much new to say about her except we now know that she can make people love AND hate each other, depending on what is more beneficial for her. She uses this tactic to turn Tara's friends against her, and because Tara seems to have no confidence of her own, this works. Jeez Tara. I'm surprised she isn't in the Light of Day Institute with Jason. She seems like a prime candidate for a cult.

I'm not even gonna comment on the Sam/Daphne thing. So ridiculous (Did you catch the obvious pool innuendos?). All you need to know is that she is a fellow shape shifter.

By the way, I totally called the Godric/Eric relationship. Eric revealed to Bill that Godric indeed is his maker, and that he feels loyal to him because of this. Since I guessed this, I wasn't surprised, but I was caught off guard by the idea that Godric is a young man (or at least looks like one). You always picture old vampires...well, old. But I suppose they could be 5-year-olds if they wanted. I'm interested to see Godric in present day. I wonder how long it will take the gang to track him down...

10 Things I Hate About You has actually turned out to be a pretty good show. I thought it would be at the Disney Channel level, like Hannah Montana, but it has surpassed my expectations. Last week's episode, Bianca was trying desperately to get on Chastity's good side again. She appointed herself the chairperson for the cheer leading fundraiser for new pom poms, much to Kat's dismay. After some inspiration from Cameron, Bianca decided to do a carnation sale that even had Kat wondering if she would get a flower from a certain brooding bad boy.

Unfortunately, Kat didn't get the flower she (not so secretly) wanted from Patrick, but she did get one from the creepy guy who hangs out in the girl's bathroom. I don't really get that character, and I hope they either make him part of Kat's group of misfits or never feature him again. Right now he just seems out of place. I also wasn't thrilled that they made light out of the fact that some girl punched him in the eye. Violence really shouldn't be funny, especially in a show aimed at a younger age group.

It was fun to watch Cameron pine for Bianca as usual. I like how he becomes such an ally for her, like when he points out that her flowers were withheld from her (she thinks she is a complete failure for not receiving any carnations from a sale she started). I wish she had stood up to Chastity in the end, but I guess that wouldn't go with her character. She would basically do anything to be popular, including throwing the vice-captain of the squad under the bus at the last minute. Ah, morals for the next generation.

I was very happy to see more of the dad in this week's episode. I love his extreme testing process for the sisters if they are out past curfew or get into other kinds of trouble. This episode focused on how Bianca is always viewed as the troublemaker while Kat always seems to get a free pass since her dad considers her to be his reliable little "cactus." Kat surprises her dad, though, when she sneaks out to a concert Patrick tells her about and gets a fake ID.

Bianca had dragged Cameron along to a secret party, but they never ended up finding the exact location, so Kat had to leave the concert to pick them up. When Bianca found out Kat had broken the rules, too, they agreed to keep quiet about each other's shenanigans. Kat doesn't get busted for lying about the concert, but she decides she can't take it anymore when her dad insists that she never does anything wrong and that Bianca is the only one who takes risks. This confession has the dad drug testing both daughters, but they bond a bit in the end.

It wasn't a very important episode by any means, but I think it is good they throw in that sisterly bond every once in awhile. It keeps the characters connected better, so that you don't just feel like you are following individual story lines all the time. I hope to see more of the crazy dad in the future. I love how he has a breathalyzer on hand for when they come in at night.

When I caught Make It or Break It this week, I felt myself getting very tired of the show. In the first ten minutes, I was already annoyed with the characters and kind of wanted to turn it off. Luckily, I kept it on long enough for me to completely change my mind. I really enjoyed this episode. The premise was The Rock was in need of funding to send the girls to Nationals. The moms get together to come up with a fundraiser and decide to do a mother/daughter fashion show. Of course, drama ensues with each pairing. All the moms strike out with their daughters in the first half, but then seem to turn it around and teach the girls life lessons by the end.

First off, Emily gets more annoyed with her mom when she finds out she told her guy friend at work Emily has never been kissed. She is completely mortified, and gets even more upset at the fashion show when Lauren steals her dress (more about that later). She decides to leave and tells her mom that no one respects them or wants them at The Rock. Her mom then admits she knows the moms, especially Ronnie, look down on her, but she doesn't let them define who she is. She teaches Emily that you have to decide who you are and not let anyone get to you. When Emily agrees to stay and finish the show she asks her mom "How are we gonna rock business casual?" and her mom replies simply, "Well, we gotta ask ourselves. What would Carrie Bradshaw do?" I thought that was really cute. Emily ends up rocking a jacket dress on the runway that blows everyone away. It's pretty awesome.

I really felt for Kaylie in this episode. After learning Lauren had sex, she feels Lauren is surpassing her in everything. She has a new fire in her at the gym that Kaylie can't compete with, and Lauren seems to be holding the attention of Kaylie's boyfriend Carter, too. Kaylie decides to use the fashion show to get Carter to see her as hot before she decides to sleep with him in the same night. She tries to go to her mom (Ronnie) for advice about knowing when you're ready, but she doesn't seem to hear her daughter and blows the conversation off. When Ronnie hears what her daughter is planning to do with Carter (from Lauren of course), she interrupts Kaylie's night and has a quick but meaningful talk with her. She stresses that if it really is love, it will wait, but gymnastics won't. She tells Kaylie she should focus on her own goals and not get distracted by a guy who will be there for her after Nationals. This was one of the last scenes of the episode, and I even got a little emotional over it. I think it's so important for younger girls to hear messages like that on TV because there are always people sleeping with each other all over the place, and it's nice to point out NOT sleeping with people is an option. I'm glad the mom handled it the way she did and didn't just storm in on her daughter. The dialogue was written very well. I was impressed.

The best mother speech, though, has to go to Candace Cameron's character, Summer. She's not even Lauren's step mom yet, and she still is stepping up to that role anyway. When Summer notices Lauren's interactions with Carter and her complaining about not having sexy enough clothes to wear at the fashion show, she decides to confront her. Summer confesses that she used to be Lauren when she was in high school. She explains how she didn't really feel important unless guys were paying attention to her, and that she flirted and slept with many guys during that time in her life. She finally wizened up when she liked a guy that wouldn't date her because he thought she was a slut. That confrontation made Summer realize she had lost her self-respect, and it took her a long time to get it back. This little speech makes Lauren cry and you think that maybe she actually might change. WRONG. When Lauren sees Kaylie flirting with Carter, she steals Emily's short dress and looks like a stripper on the runway. It's so ridiculous and the usual cry for attention plot. It kind of ruins Summer's speech, but I'm still glad the speech was made. It was another message that I think could help a lot of girls in high school. But, like Lauren, I don't think they listen. Sigh.

Peyson's story was pretty basic. She didn't want to do the fashion show because it's girly, and she doesn't feel like she is a "pretty girl" like Kaylie. Sasha convinces her mom that she needs to explain to her daughter that being beautiful is not a sign of weakness. You can be both strong and pretty. Although this was a little lame, Peyson's relationship with her mom did remind me of my own mom. I HATE shopping normally, and she is always trying to make light of it and get me to have more fun.

I hope Make It or Break It follows up with more good episodes. I think I was about to drop this show, but I see now it has potential. I can at least appreciate it for its positive messages. People may think ABC Family isn't worth watching, but I'd much rather my future children watch this than the trash on MTV.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

I don't think anyone can argue against this being the scene-stealer of the movie.

I still remember how disappointed I was when I heard this movie was going to be delayed another half year, but I am happy to say it was well worth the wait. Throughout most of this film, I felt like I was watching too different movies. The first was about the highs and lows of teen romance, and the second was a mystery thriller about discovering your greatest enemy being basically immortal.

In the Half Blood Prince, Harry is recruited by Dumbledore to help him with several different tasks. The first of which is to convince an old teacher, Horace Slughorn, to return to Hogwarts. He takes Harry without filling him in on this motive, and after a short meeting, Slughorn realizes there may be advantages to returning to his old position as potions master. He enjoys collecting students with exceptional talents so that he is always well-connected, and Harry is just too good to pass up. Dumbledore than insists that Harry retrieve a crucial memory Slughorn has by joining his "Slug Club" and getting on his good side. Harry does as he is told and after some brown nosing and a lot of luck, he succeeds. Unfortunately, this only means an even harder task for Harry as he accompanies Dumbledore to a dangerous cave that possesses something Voldemort holds dear.

The cave sequence gets really intense, and I am surprised the movie was able to stay at a PG rating. Having a bunch of Gollums come out of the dark lake was pretty terrifying to me, but the MPAA thinks little kids can handle it. The end of the movie felt anticlimactic to me after the cave scene. As the The Kidd Versus! pointed out, the Death Eaters are able to do what they came to quite easily at Hogwarts. There is no fight scene as illustrated in the book, just Bellatrix deciding to crash windows and set things on fire...again. Helena Bonham Carter (by the way, I think she is fantastic in this role) even admitted she felt her character was a bit of a pyromaniac.

The movie gets the main emotions out of the audience, but I think the end could have been stretched out longer to properly deal with what happens. I know some would argue with this and say that the movie is already too long, but I would have to point out why this scene was included at all:

In the middle of the movie there is a random attack on the Weasley house. For those two people who haven't read the book...this doesn't happen. There is no point to this scene at all. I tried thinking of a point for awhile. I considered maybe to further the Ginny/Harry romance, but it is never really addressed that Ginny ran after Harry. I also considered it could be to introduce Fenrir Greyback, but you've already seen him and he doesn't say anything in this scene. Maybe they were just trying to throw in an action sequence in a slower part of the movie, but in the end it came off rather pointless, and just made me feel bad for the Weasleys.

Anyway, let me get to more of the light-hearted parts of the movie. Half-Blood Prince is really Ron's time to shine. His character quickly becomes a Quidditch hero (with a little help from his friends, of course) and also starts dating this crazy kid:

If Lavender Brown existed in the real world, I have a feeling she would be a rabid Twilight fan. Won-Won...er, Ron... and Lavender hook up kind of randomly in the movie, much to the dismay of Hermione. I loved that they included the little scene where Hermione is upset over Ron and conjures little birds around her head. That stood out to me in the book for some reason, and it was nice to see it brought to life. That scene is also very poignant because it shows how Harry and Hermione bond. Most of the books and movies show the Harry/Hermione/Ron friendship, so it's refreshing to see their individual friendships, too. The brief dialogue between Harry and Hermione in that moment is bound to mean something to anyone who has been through a little heartache as a teen, or even now I suppose.

Ron and Hermione get their own moment eventually, as do Ginny and Harry. I loved the little scenes throughout the movie that revealed Harry's new interest in Ron's sister. They were silly, but very cute. I did NOT like, however, when the two had their first kiss. It was another altered scene, but it was at such a bad time in the movie. A pretty scary event happens for Harry, and five minutes later, he's sharing an intimate moment with Ginny. Not the time kids! Hopefully they'll get the timing right in The Deathly Hallows films (last book will be divided into two films coming out November 2010 and July 2011).

And one shouldn't forget how the movie earned it's title, though it is very easy to miss in the movie. Harry becomes the owner of a hand me down potions book that was previously owned by someone calling themselves "The Half-Blood Prince." The potions book has numerous notes in it that help Harry excel in potions class, but also leads him to some dark magic. Harry and his friends try to figure out if the previous owner is good or evil, and when you find out the real owner, this conundrum becomes even more meaningful. Although I wish they spent a little more time on the mysteries of the potions book, they did enough to get the point across. There really are more important things going on by the end to really care too much.

I know I've said a lot of negative things about the movie, but it is hard to focus on the movie alone without comparing it to the book. I honestly enjoyed the movie a lot, and look forward to going to see it again soon. I was smiling and laughing through a lot of it. The dialogue is full of humor through the scenes with the kids, and Slughorn also adds his own comedy here and there, too, as he begins collecting students. I am always impressed by the acting of the adults, especially Alan Rickman as Snape and Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix. Jim Broadbent nails Slughorn in this film, and I hope to see a little bit more of him in the movies to come.

With Ron getting a lot of attention in this movie, Rupert Grint had to step up his game. He does this quite effortlessly since I believe comedy is his true calling. Evanna Lynch as Luna and Jessie Cave as Lavender also are key players in the comedy of this film, and I felt they really captured their characters as well (though I think everyone felt that was about Lynch in Order of the Phoenix). Not to be outdone, Tom Felton balances out all the comedy as the brooding Draco. I only was annoyed by seeing the vanishing cabinet revealed in the same way three times, but otherwise, I liked Draco's scenes. I thought it was especially well done that they had him refer to himself as the chosen one since he is basically a dark version of Harry.

The great acting, stunning visual effects, and amazing score (I love the music in the Harry Potter films!) make this film a must see for the summer. I would definitely consider it the best blockbuster I've seen this season. The only reason I would give it four stars instead of five is my love for the books. The movies never get it completely right, but they keep getting closer and closer as they capture the heart of the story.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

I started watching True Blood when it started and was able to finish it through the first season because I had HBO at school. Unfortunately, I do not have the same cable line up in Orlando and was forced to accept the fact that I wouldn't be able to watch season 2. Just as I was getting used to this, I found that I have some very useful friends and neighbors who have this beautiful thing called "HBO on Demand." So, as luck would have it, I have seen season 2 so far. My connections are waning, though, so I'm not sure I will be able to post more about this season or not. It just depends on how many more TV's I can find to temporarily take over ;)

It would take me way too long to review each episode, so I'm gonna discuss True Blood by each character and what they've been through this season. Why don't we start with the least fortunate of the season opener, Lafayette.

After the season finale, it was pretty certain that Lafayette was either killed, captured, or turned into a vampire. We saw him get attacked from the attacker's point of view, so we had no idea who the assailant was. We found out rather quickly in the first episode that Eric had organized Lafayette's capture for dealing vampire blood, and that Lafayette was in the basement of Fangtasia slowly rotting away. He managed a gruesome escape, but didn't even get out the door before he was shot in the leg. If it wasn't for Sookie's mind-reading abilities, he would still be down there. Right now he is alive and well in his own home, but Eric has some weird interest in him. I'm not sure if it is romantic, business, or friendly, but I'm sure Lafayette and Eric will be interacting a lot more as the season continues. I miss Lafayette making people his bitch instead of being someone else's bitch. I hope he gets back to his usual self soon.

Eric's been interesting so far. I do like that he cut his hair, showed up in a ladies clothing store in a track suit to talk to Bill, and then was mistaken for gay by the saleslady. It was nice to have that little bit of humor thrown in with all the other craziness (though I was still laughing at that point from when Bill said "I am Vampire" to the saleslady). Poor Eric is losing his influence as the big bad in town for several reasons. Besides the track suit, there is a bull-headed demon running around, Sookie and Bill are taking Eric for every penny they can get out of him, and Lafayette is allowed to live. Eric's little outburst killing at the end of the first episode should have made me fear him, but I think he's a big softy. My guess at why Eric is so interested in the missing vampire in Dallas? I think it's his sire/maker. He emphasized how loyal Pam was to him in "Scratches," so I feel like he is being loyal to his own leader.

Not much to say about Daphne except that I do not trust her any more than I trust Bill to not make me burst out laughing at his over-the-top accent. This girl appears to have been scratched by the same thing as Sookie, but how did she survive without the creepy old doctor lady? And why is she so eager to sink her claws into Sam? You know she must be evil if she's going after the (mostly) innocent Sam. I'm thinking she might be in cahoots with Maryann, or maybe she is someone Maryann created to distract Sam.

Speaking of psycho lady, what is up with Maryann? I don't understand why she is trying to control Tara and why she keeps throwing orgy parties. People down in Bon Temps need to calm down the hormones. The flashbacks they showed of her and Sam leave a lot out about what happened between them. I don't think it was just about sex and money because she seems to feel the need to constantly threaten turning him into this cute little pup:

Going on my random guesses, I'm gonna say Maryann is some type of love goddess. She hasn't done anything evil yet and just seems to be concerned with sexuality and fertility. However, we did see her hands transform into the bull demon claws we saw in the third episode. I don't think that necessarily means it's her, but she does have the motive to get rid of Sookie. Her possession of Tara seems very important to her and Sookie asking Tara to move in with her seems to put a wrench in Maryann's plans. I just hope Tara doesn't get impregnated with some demon spawn, though after the show Maryann put on in the last episode with the black eyes, swaying, and clawing dirt...I really wouldn't be surprised.

Is any one else tired of feeling sorry for Tara? This last episode especially had her getting on my nerves. Boohoo. Your friends aren't there for you on your birthday. YOU ran away to a stranger's house and stopped showing up for work on a regular basis. And Sookie and Lafayette almost died with poisonous scratches, vampire bites, and gunshot wounds. But oh no. I have to watch Tara cry about being alone on her birthday. Over it. And dating a guy named Eggs? Kinda sketchy Tara, kinda sketchy.

Joe and Judy Regular here scare me more than the vampires. Their cult following is so creepy. It makes me sad that Jason is so weak to fall into the whole scheme. I thought he would like vampires given all the human violence he's witnessed, but Sarah keeps getting his head and convincing him otherwise.

But honestly, what guy could resist the perfect combo of ribs and a blonde? This picture makes me feel like Sarah is getting ready to eat him alive, not that Jason is sitting down to a nice meal. I hope that in the end, Jason makes good choices. I think I would be sad if he ends up hunting vampires. He obviously couldn't kill a main character like Bill, but what about Jessica?

Jessica has been a breath of fresh air on True Blood. I love her character. She was already fun as Bill's whiny charge in the first couple episodes, but the incident with her family revealed there was more depth to her character than I originally thought. Supposedly she was raised by an abusive father and grew up in a house full of strict rules. She tries to get back at her parents when she pays them a visit, but Bill bursts in at the last second to save them and take Jessica away. I liked when she went out to Merlotte's and met Hoyt the following night, too (I was so jealous of her cute hair and outfit in that episode!). They are so adorable together, and I'm hoping that continues when she gets back from Dallas.

And finally, Sookie and Bill. For the most part, these two have been fairly boring. After a quick I Love You/I Hate You/I Love You Again in the first episode, these two have had barely any problems in their relationship. Yeah, Bill got all mad about Sookie meddling with Jessica, but that was quickly extinguished when Sookie got attacked by the demon (I like how I say that so casually). The trip to Dallas is working as a way to excite the plot lines for these characters, though. With Bill prying as to why Eric is so concerned about the missing vampire and Sookie finding a fellow mind-reader, I'm sure the season will prove to be quite eventful for these two.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

This Monday, five new categories were released in Zap2it's Greatest TV Characters Poll. The majority have to do with school characters, but they threw in a few random ones, too. As promised, here are my picks.

Best Educator: Dr. Miranda Bailey from "Grey's Anatomy"

Bailey is one of my favorite characters on Grey's Anatomy, and I think she definitely prevails in this category. She is both harsh and fair as the leading resident to her interns as she guides them through their first few years at Seattle Grace. She takes full responsibility for her charges, and even goes as far as taking the blame for Izzie's misconduct regarding Denny's heart transplant. She feels it is her fault that it happened in the first place. Bailey also advises her fellow colleagues and even her superiors, often being a go to person for the Chief when he needs to make a decision. While balancing everyone else, Bailey also makes some tough decisions in her own life. She even gives up her relationship when she realizes her husband is preventing her from achieving her own goals. Now that is a strong woman we all can look up to.

Currently Leading in the Polls: Rupert Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer with 32.8% of the votes

Best College Student: Rusty Cartwright from "Greek"

Finally! Some "Greek" representation. I was sad to see neither Casey nor Rusty were in the Best Brother/Sister categories since they have a good relationship, but oh well. At least Zap2it didn't ignore the show completely. Rusty is a great college student because he does everything. He is a Polymer Science major (don't ask me what that is) AND he is a member of Kappa Tau, the campus' slacker fraternity. He is always trying to maintain a balance between his social and academic life, and while partying usually comes first, he manages to keep his grades up. Besides this balancing act, he manages to be a sweet boyfriend, supportive brother, and loyal friend. Did I mention I love Rusty? He's so cute in his own dorky kind of way.

Currently Leading in the Polls: Rory Gilmore from Gilmore Girls with 31.4% of the votes

Best High-School Student: Kim Possible from "Kim Possible"

I know, I know. I shouldn't like a kid's cartoon show. But seriously, Kim Possible is awesome. She is the captain of the cheer leading squad, a straight A student, and she fights crime as an extracurricular. Plus, she has friends everywhere around the world. How else do you think she gets rides to exotic locations to get the bad guys? She has an endless supply of sidekick gadgets, a brain surgeon and rocket scientist as parents, a best friend that's a computer genius, and a dedicated boyfriend who not only helps her on her missions, but also provides sarcastic commentary. I think her high school days were more exciting than the rest of the nominees' combined.

Currently Leading in the Polls: Veronica Mars from Veronica Mars with 50.8% of the votes

Best President: George W. Bush from "Saturday Night Live"

One word: Strategery. I loved Will Ferrell's impressions on SNL, and was sad when other cast members had to take over when he left the show. SNL is known for doing great political sketches that become viral videos online, and George W. Bush was no exception. Besides Sarah Palin, I feel George W. Bush was the easiest and best politician the show ever made fun of. Obama was nominated in this category for "various" shows, but I thought that wasn't fair. He's not a TV character. Even my pick for this category is a stretch.

Currently Leading in the Polls: David Palmer from 24 with 25.2% of the votes

Best Voiceover: The Narrator from "Pushing Daisies"

Who doesn't love Jim Dale's voice? It only took me an episode or two to figure out the narrator from Pushing Daisies is the same guy who does the audio books for Harry Potter. This man's voice is so soothing to me, with the British accent and soft tones...he was made for narrating. The voiceovers in Pushing Daisies are used just enough so that they add to the show instead of taking away from it. They are not just used at the beginning and end, but are sprinkled throughout the episodes to move the story along at a good pace. They honestly couldn't have chosen a better person for this. The category for Best Voiceover did have a lot of good choices with Gossip Girl, Mary Alice Young, and Meredith Grey, but I'd have Jim Dale read me to sleep any day over the rest of the nominees.

Currently Leading in the Polls: Michael Westen from Burn Notice with 17.2% of the votes

About Me

I am pretty much an expert at following TV shows. The longest running show I have followed live is Smallville, which is about to enter it's 9th season. I appreciate shows that came on before my time, too, and have caught up on some series through DVD watching. This blog chronicles my TV episode reviews. I will also review movies, although this will occur mostly during the summer when my usual shows are on hiatus.
As for me, I am a 21 year old college graduate with a Bachelor's in Economics. I am currently enrolled to get my MBA in 2011. Wish me luck!